Gott Brothers now open on Hwy. 3

Laura Gott of Gott Brother’s Orchards in Oxford near the airport has struggled for years to find a permanent place to sell her family’s peaches, apples and pears.

She was selling fruit from a stand in the on Highway 550 South about 10 miles south of Durango, but that didn’t last. Then she sold from the frontage road between Home Depot and Walmart, but when they widened the road, she was forced to move again.

But this time, it’s permanent, Gott says of the small, buff-colored building across from North American Van Lines on Highway 3. It sports a paved lot and a bathroom, more than amenities – necessary facilities required to sell fruit for the whole year, not just the summer season.

Even so, it’s still not easy.

“It’s been slow. People didn’t know we’re here,” she said, worrying that the state’s restrictions on signs have hampered customers from finding her.

Look for the “Colorado Peaches” sign set back off the east side of the road just after Alpine Auto Clinic. It’s worth your while – the Red Havens I bought were the juiciest ever, and the cucumbers had the perfect crunch.